How to Store Pre-Made Smoothies

We know smoothies made at home are crazy healthy. Some experts recommend drinking one every day. However, life can get in the way, and before you know it, you have run out of time and skip your smoothie for breakfast.

But there are some “hacks” you can do to make the smoothie-making process well… smoother.

Batch-make the ingredients
Once a week cut up a big batch of fruits and vegetables that you use in your smoothies. Then bag them up in serving-size portions in zip-lock bags and freeze. If using a mixture of fruits and green vegetables, put the vegetables in last. It makes getting them out easier. You can store these portions up to six months frozen.

Use frozen ingredients
Then when you need to make a smoothie, take a bag out of the freezer, dump it in your blender, add protein powder, a liquid like almond or coconut milk, a few ice cubes and blend to the thickness you like. You now have a smoothie you can eat on the run or sit down and enjoy.

If your blender doesn’t do well with frozen items, take a bag out of the freezer the night before and let it defrost in the refrigerator overnight. If you are going to do this, then freeze your dark green vegetables separately from your fruits. That way the veggies won’t get soggy. Defrosting first seems to “kick up” the flavor of the smoothie too, and the ingredients blend better too.

Batch-make smoothies
If you are going to make the mess of making a smoothie, why not take advantage of it and make more than one batch of smoothies at a time? What you don’t drink today you can store in the refrigerator for up to three days. However, flavor, texture and nutritional value do start to degrade after 48 hours. Divide the left-over smoothie into serving size portions and place in Mason jars.

Use smaller jars that you can fill to the top to minimize the amount of air trapped between the lid and mixture. This will minimize the chance of air oxidizing your smoothie which can reduce its nutritional value and flavor. Adding a little lemon juice can also contribute to reducing oxidation, plus it adds in some extra vitamin C.

Freeze left-over smoothie
As an alternative to storing left-over smoothies in your refrigerator, try freezing it. Take one out and re-blend it when it is still partially frozen. This way you can keep it even longer and still have it taste like you just make it without any degradation.

These smoothie hacks work well for the busy person and not only save you time but money by not wasting ingredients or left-over smoothie.